But he also pointed to the irony of his being undone by a proportional representation voting system – which counts both first and second choices – which he supports and which the Conservative party rejects.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Grove paid tribute to Lord Prescott as a ‘worthy opponent’ and an ‘utter gentleman’.

He also commented on the low voter turnout, blaming the national press for ‘talking down’ the poll and failing to convince the British public that it was worthwhile to vote.

Lord Prescott also mentioned the low turnout, blaming instead the government for not providing enough information to voters.

He also said that while canvassing for the position, he encountered many people who fundamentally disagreed with the police commissioner role altogether.

‘The voter turnout is unfortunate. I don’t think it is an easy thing to live with. I hope next time more people will show up,’ he said.

Mr Grove said he hoped to raise the profile of the position so that more voters would come out next time.